You’re Poison Running Through My Veins…
……oh, the wise words of our friend Alice Cooper are showcased here by our Italian cousins Fleshgod Apocalypse as we inject a little poison into our already damned and godforsaken lives. All those who hold religion close to their hearts, turn away now as this record takes a leaf or two out of Dani Filth’s (sigh….swoon) book on the hypocrisy and false security that religion has been blamed for.
‘Veleno’ is Italian for venom, and we learn how it can present itself in all manner of disguises, not all with murderous intent, I hasten to add. Thoughts, ideas and reasoning from all corners of the globe (thank you internet) infiltrate our minds and twist our perceptions, sometimes with disastrous consequences.
‘They arise as night falls’ is the calling card of the ‘Carnivorous Lamb’ as the wolf in sheep’s clothing awakens to the rhythm of an Amorphis style composition and the words a la Cradle Of Filth ‘spawn of an impious breed’- mmmm… how lovely….
‘Sugar’ addresses the issue of drugs, which have unfortunately saturated our world, it sends a stern message – don’t get involved in drugs, life is worth living. The imagery is stark yet innovative as we see the band swim inside a syringe filled with poison ready to blight someone’s life.
The ‘be, be gone’ spookiness of ‘Fury’ contains a great little riff at 3.10, which leads nicely into the choral, reflective and introspective piece called ‘The Praying Mantis’ Strategy’.
It is quite an analytical, and investigative record with venom being the central theme and stopping at all points germane that are connected to our being.
Stand out track for me is ‘Monnalisa’, love is indeed a tragedy , my friends. Thirsty, anyone? Well you’re in luck with a tot of ‘Absinthe’ all the way from Italy , each song has a tale to tell and then the culmination of delirium, ugliness and misery define this incredibly beautiful record.
‘Art is a serious thing, you can’t dishonour it’ words that are music to my ears, subtlety was never the aim of this record.
It’s time to bemoan the quality of our existence and give ourselves unto eventual death and all the sorrow and agony it brings, in a classical and theatrical ‘ The Day Will Be Gone’.
A Rammstein cover pops up here in ‘Reise, Reise’ and we count this one out to the refrain of ‘we embrace the oblivion of ourselves with no regret’, as we accept the poisoned chalice and drink deeply of the contents therein.
Bow down, my friends to a very different altar of sacrifice, a monolith of unbiblical proportions, the apocalypse is here.
Fleshgod Apocalypse – Veleno out now on Nuclear Blast